Cartridge-load er



(No Model.)

No. 479,613. Patented July 26. 1892.

NrTnD STATES ATENT OFFICE,

FRANK RUEI, BALDWIN, OF JERSEY CITY, NEIV JERSEY.

CARTRIDGE-LOADER.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 479,613, dated July26, 1892. Application filed April 6, 1892. Serial No. 428.037. (Nomodel.)

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK RUEL BALDWIN, a citizen of the United States,residing at .Iersey City, in thecountyof Hudson and State of New Jersey,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cartridge-Loaders;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention relates to cartridgeloaders, and has for its objectthe construction of an implement especially adapted to reload papercartridges or shells.

In the use of paper cartridges or shells the end is crimped to securethe charge in the cartridge, and this crimping after having beenrepeated several times breaks the stock or paper, which makes it softand fiinisy and as a consequence diflicult to reload.

It is my purpose to provide an implement which will facilitate thereloading of paper cartridges whether they be in good or bad condition;and to this end my invention consists in the improvements inconstruction which will be fully disclosed in the followingspecification and claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification,Figure l represents a vertical section of my improved loader, showingthe end of a cartridge about to enter the space between the flexiblefingers or guard and the body of the loader. Fig. 2 represents a similarView showing the end of the cartridge up against the seat of the chamberformed by the flexible fingers or guard and the guard covering theusually-broken portion of the cartridge, and Fig. 3 a similar viewshowing a modification of the upper end of the loader.

Reference being had to the drawings and the letters thereon, A indicatesa paper cartridge of ordinary construction; B, the loader of my improvedconstruction, which consists of a cylinder of sheet metal, which may beslightly flared or expanded at its lower endol to facilitate theinsertion of cartridges Whose ends have been broken or torn by frequentuse. The upper end of the loader is provided with a bell-mouth I) tofacilitate the insertion of wads and impart to them in their passage aninitial bend or configuration preparatory to entering the cartridge, andsaid bell-inouth terminates in an annular contraction or depression,forming a throat c, which 1s nearly the same diameter as the inside ofthe cartridge to be loaded. Immediately below and adjoining the throat cis a concentric collar cl, slightly thicker than the body or wall of thecartridge, and on the inner surface of the col lar is secured a lining eof Very thin sheet metal, preferably steel, which extends about half aninch or more below the collar d, and said lower portion has incisionsthrough 1t severing| the metal and forming numerous narrow fiexible orresilient fingers f, whlch form substantially a continuous wall and. aguard to the upper end of the cartridge while the wads are being forcedinto the cartridge by a suitable rainrod. (Not shown). The ends g of thefingers f are rounded and slightly bent inward to enable the cartridgeto pass under the fingers without being torn as it is guided by theforeinger of the user of thelmplement.

It will be observed that the fingers f are all in planes coincident withthe body of the loader, thereby forming an annular chamber h, havingparallel walls throughout its length and up to the lower end of thecollar land of a width in cross-section slightly in excess of thethickness of the wall or body of the cartridge, which prevents the endof the cartridge being compressed and caught between the body of theloader and the fingers f and .the ragged end of the cartridge torn offin withdrawing the loaded cartridge from the loader. This feature of theconstruction will be readily appreciated by sportsmen', for the reasonthat in loaders of this kind the lodgment of pieces of cartridges underthe fingers f would soon render the loader useless, besides proving agreat annoyance to the personusing the implement. It will also beobserved that by forming the chamber h with parallel walls and providingthe concentric collar d a shoulder or seat z' is formed, whichconstitutes the upper end of the chamber hand which rests upon the endof the cartridge while loading it,

thereby enabling the loader to be used with cartridges ol' a variety ollengths, as thelower end of the loader need not rest upon a table orlike structure.

While this device is especially designed for loadlng papercartridges,itis obvious that metallic cartridges maybe loaded in likemanner.

In Eig. 3 is showna modification of the construction of the upper end ofthe loader and 1nl whlch the concentric ring d is dispensed wlth andinstead thereof a shoulder or seat 7c for the chamber h is formed in thebody of the loader by a right-angled bend Z in the metal, and the lininge, with its fingers f, is secured to the vertical inward-projecting partlm. just below the throat c.

I'Iavlng thus fully described my invention,

what I claim isl. A cartridge-loader having a concentric lnwardprojection near its upper end and provlded with vertical flexiblefingers in planes coincident with the body of the loader and extendingbelow said projection.

2. A cartridge-loader having a concentric seat near its upper end andanannular chambeli1 below said seat provided with parallel Wa s.

3. A cartridge-loader having a concentric -ing a throat of a diameterinward projection near its upper ond and a1 annular chamber below saidprojection prc vided with parallel walls, the inner one o which isresilient.

4. A cartridge-loader having a concentri` seat and flexible fingersprovided With round ed and inwardly-bent ends to embrace an( protect thebroken end of a cartridge while loading.

5. A cartridge-loader having a bell moutl terminating in an annularcontraction form about equal to the inside of the cartridge, aconcentric colla] forming a seat for the end of acartridge, an aflexible guard for the upper end of the cartridgc.

6. A cartridge-loader having a bell mouth, and a chamber havingashoulder or seat and vertical and parallel Walls to receive the end of acartridge, the inner one of said Walls being flexible.

In testimony whereofI affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' FRANK RUEL BALDWIN.

Witnesses:

GERARD C. GREEN, GEO. W. WELLS.

